Storage-bin



R. E. BAKER.

STORAGE BIN- APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, 1917.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920. 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Z7 ,5 "W 762/5 for:

R. E. BAKER. STORAGE BIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I9, I9I7.

Patenfed Apr; 27, 19%.

2 SHEEI'S-SHEEI 2.

" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. BAKER, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

STORAGE-BIN.

Application filed March 19, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Storage-Bins, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My. invention relates to stora e bins or receptacles for a like purpose such as are used for storing iron ore, coal or similar materials in bulk, its object being to provide a bin structure which will be economical in its construction and efiicient in its operation.

Said invention is an improvement upon the invention in storage bins patented to me under U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,088,762 in this respect that, whereas the invention of said Patent No. 1,088,762 comprises a side structure in suspension storage bins consisting of flexible tension members shown as two sets of depending rods which supply the necessary tensile strength to the bin and flexible plates resting against said rods which are free with the tension rods to assume what would be approximately a segment of a parabola under the imposed load, the improvements herein described consist in providing a side structure which comprises flexible plates only, said plates alone carrying the bottom structure, also providing the tensile strength that was formerly afforded by the depending rods and being free to flex outwardly under the internal strains due to the imposed load.

In my improved construction, as is true of the construction shown in said Patent No. 1,088,762, the advantageous disposition of the structural elements of the sides and bottoms of former well-known bin constructions is retained, and the disadvantages attendant upon the peculiar form of the bottoms thereof, whereby it was impossible to completely discharge the contents of such bins by gravity alone, andwhereby considerable structural material was necessarily provided between the discharge openings, have been eliminated.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodying my invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting but one of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 11191227, 1920.

Serial No. 155,885.

various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be applied.

In said annexed drawings Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a storage bin embodying my invention;

F 1 is an enlarged transverse section of a fragmentary portion thereof; Fig. 1 is an enlarged transverse broken section of a fragmentary portion thereof, showing the enlarged holes in the end plates of an intermediate structure; Fig. 1 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a fragmentary portion thereof in the plane indicated by the lines II, Fig. 1; Fig. 2 is a front elevation and longitudinal section, taken in the planes indicated by the lines A-A and BB, Fig. 1, of a fragmentary portion of such bin showing a complete bay thereof; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a fragmentary portion of such bin, taken in the plane indicated by the line CC, F ig. 1.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention comprises three main parts, viz., a supporting structure, a bottom structure, and an intermediate structure, the latter two structures forming a containing or storage member.

The frame portion of the supporting structure may be of any suitable form designed to carry or suspend the weight of the bin and its contents. I have illustrated this frame-portion as consisting of rein- "forced concrete elements, including the vertical columns 1, the longitudinal beams or girders 2, and the transverse girders 3, said girders 2 and 3 being supported on the top of said columns 1. The system of reinforcing these concrete elements is indicated in Fig. 1, but forms no part of this invention. It is obvious that structural steel elements may be substituted for the reinforced con crete elements, but the latter have been selected as illustrating one particular form of elements of the many possible forms which may be adopted for constructing the required supporting frame. The girders 2 are placed so as to incline inwardly, as shown, at substantially the required angle and have disposed therein a series of anchor rods 4, as plainly shown in Fig. 2, spaced equidistantly from each other in each bay and in the longitudinal direction of the girders 2. As plainly shown in Fig. 1, angle irons 5 are retained by suitable nuts upon the two ends of the anchor rods 4: extending from the girders 2 and tightly up against the bottom side of said girders. These angle irons, of which there are two, are so relatively disposed as to provide a space between their contiguous sides, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The entire bin structure, as illustrated, is divided into bays equal in length to the distance between centers of the columns 1 and the series of anchor rods 4, provided as hereinbefore explained, directly support an intermediate flexible tension side structure, hereinafter fully described, which in turn supports a bottom structure. This intermediate flexible tension side structure, the construction and purposes of which, together with the features incident to such construction and purposes, including a rigid bottom structure comprise my present invention, consists of side plates 6 disposed longitudinally of the bin and end plates 6 disposed at the end of each bay of the bin. As plainly shown in Fig. 1, the upper ends of the side plates 6 are disposed and retained within the opening, hereinbefore described, provided between the contiguous sides of the angle irons 5. Furthermore, the lateral edge portions of the side plates 6 are provided with the outwardly projecting riveted angle irons 1 1. The end plates 6 are of such dimensions that they project between the angle irons 14: of contiguous plates 6 and are secured therebetween by means of bolts 15, enlarged holes 15 being provided in said end plates 6 for said bolts. Secured to approximately the bottom of the end plates 6 and pivotally holding the plates at the point of such connection are the rods 10 secured at their other ends within the concrete columns 1, as plainly shown in Fig. 1. The side plates 6 of the intermediate structure at the end of each bay are pro-' vided with stiffening members 6 Such end plates 6, furthermore, have riveted upon opposite sides of their lower edge portions the downwardly projecting bars 11, plainly shown in Fig. 3, the relative disposition of said bars 11 and end plates 6' being such that filler plates 12, as plainly shown in said Fig. 8, may be inserted and contained between said end plates 6 and said bars 11, respectively. Between the bottom portions of said downwardly projecting bars 11 there project the upper ends of two contiguous end plates 7 of bottom structures 7 as I plainly shown in said Fig. 3, said end plates 7 being loosely retained within the space between said two contiguous bars 11. The two end plates 6 and 7 are thus in each instance loosely connected but yet form an effective partition between the adjacent bins. The further structure of the bottom element of the bin comprises the longitudinally disoverlap the side plates 7 of the bottom structure and are rigidly secured thereto by the rivets 15 as plainly shown in Fig. 1

The side plates 7 2 of the bottom structure, the right-hand side as seen in Fig. 1, are each formed with a plurality of discharge openings controlled by suitable doors 8, and secondary diaphragms 9 are provided, as shown in Fig. 2, secured by angle irons l6 and subdividing each bay of the bottom structure and permanently secured by suitable riveting. As plainly shown in Fig. 2 there are threeof these diaphragms 9 provided in each bay, thus creating four sections of the bottom structure within a bay and within each such section two discharge openings and their doors 8 are provided. These diaphragms form transverse ties which render each bay of the bottom structure and hence the entire bottom structure substantially rigid. 7 The provision of a rigid bottom structure suspended by means of the intermediate structure, as shown, makes it possible to have a continuous opening between the vertical planes of the faces of the diaphragms 9, thus eliminating completely any element having faces or parts projecting transversely of the flow of the material downwardly toward the discharge openings. The sides of the bottom structure are also given the desired inclination. These two features, therefore, make it possible to discharge the entire contents of the bin by gravity solely.

As will be apparent from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, the intermediate structure furnishes the tensile strength of my improved storage bin necessary to meet the internal strains due to the imposed load, being free to flex outwardly to assume a shape approximately a segment of a parabola, and supporting the rigid bottom structure.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a storage bin, in combination, a'supporting structure; a containing member suspended therefrom and rigid at receiving and discharge ends, said containing member comprising an intermediate structure formed with flexible side walls; rigid end plates extending between said side walls and loosely connected to said walls to permit deformation of the walls under variations of load; and end plates extending between the walls of the discharge end and rigid therewith, said last-named end plates conforming in position with the first-mentioned end plates, to form bays, the two end plates being loosely connected and yet forming one effective partition in each instance.

2. In combination, a rigid frame consisting of longitudinal and transverse girders; an intermediate flexible tension structure consisting of flexible side plates fixed to and supported at their upper edges by said longitudinal girders, and of rigid end members supported by said side plates and in easy relation thereto; and also, as a part of the combination, a rigid bottom member, the flexible side plates being firmly secured to the sides of said bottom member, and the end plates being in easy sliding relation to the corresponding ends of the rigid bottom member.

3. A suspension storage bin, comprising the combination of a supporting frame; a

containing structure suspended from said supporting frame and including an upper portion and a lower bottom structure, the latter being formed With substantially continuous discharge openings and having transverse diaphragms subdividing the bottom structure and rendering the same rigid; and means secured to said supporting frame and pivotally connected to the upper portion of said containing structure to laterally brace the same, the upper and lower portions of said containing structure being relatively vertically movable, and the upper portion thereof being comprised of flexible tension members.

Signed by me, this 13th day of March,

ROBERT E. BAKER. 

